


Priceless

by DetectiveRiley (RavenWhitecastle)



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Short, Short & Sweet, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-18 02:34:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 504
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28859640
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RavenWhitecastle/pseuds/DetectiveRiley
Summary: Harold needs John around. When John has a run-in with his old handler, Harold will pay any price to save him. Because John's presence in his life is priceless.
Relationships: Harold Finch/John Reese
Comments: 8
Kudos: 48





	Priceless

John awoke feeling groggy and sore. He had only vague memories of the night before- white lights, Harold’s voice, and pain. A lot of pain. He tried to only move his eyes to look around. He was in one of Harold’s safehouses. And he wasn’t alone. Someone was holding his hand. John looked over to see Harold asleep in the chair next to his bed, their fingers intertwined.

Then John turned his head too far, and pain shot up his neck. He stifled a groan, but his flinching woke Harold, who immediately started fussing over him.

“John!” he exclaimed, sitting up so quickly he jostled his glasses out of place. “Are you all right?” Harold shuffled over to check John’s vital signs on the monitor. “Do you need more morphine?”

Suddenly, John remembered everything. Snow’s trap where John was shot on the rooftop, Carter helping them escape, and Harold paying the coroner to patch him up. Their conversation in the stairwell, and the lengths that Harold had gone to to keep John alive.

Reaching out, John placed his hand on Harold’s arm, stopping Harold from adjusting his IV. Harold looked down, startled. John met his gaze. When he finally found his voice, he spoke earnestly.   
“You saved my life.”

Harold sat down beside him again. John kept his hand where it was, and Harold placed his hand on top. “You had me scared there, for a moment.”

“Sorry,” John teased, his voice raspy. “I won’t let it happen again, boss.” His tone was teasing, but his smile faded when he saw the tears in Harold’s eyes.

“Mr. Reese, I was being serious,” Harold managed. Taking a shaky breath, he continued, “I thought- for a horrifying moment- that I was going to lose you. For good.”

John’s breathing grew shallow. “Harold, how much did you give him? The medical examiner?”

“Money is no object. Not when it comes to you.”

“Need me around that much?”

Harold wiped his eyes. “I did not give Mr. Madani a few hundred thousand dollars just because you’re the employee of the month, John.” He met John’s gaze, and John felt the air turn electric.

Before John could react, Harold leaned in and kissed him. Blinking in surprise, John kissed him back. John had kissed men before, but this was different.  _ Harold  _ was different. Harold was gentle and tender, but also needy. He kissed John like any second, he was going to vanish into thin air. He kissed John like he needed him to breathe.

They broke apart after a moment, flushed and dizzy. Harold looked up at the monitor with a smirk. John’s heart rate had jumped from a steady 76 beats per minute to 92.

“I take it,” Harold ventured, “that you liked that?”

John smiled up at him. “I did. I think… I’d like to do it again.”

Harold leaned down again, this time kissing John on the forehead. “When you’re better,” he murmured into John’s hair, “and then we can do it again and again.”

_ fin _

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally a chapter for my longform Big Bang fic "more than words." Up to this point, the story had pretty much followed the canon timeline (save for the whole soulmate thing thrown in), and I was pretty proud. But then I added Grace to the mix, and this scene felt like it clashed. I ended up removing it from the finished version, but kept it in my drafts because I was so fond of it. So, here it is! I hope you loved it as much as I do.


End file.
